On December 20, the Bureau of Land Management announced that it was seeking public comment on its proposed changes to a 2012 Western Solar Plan. The updated programmatic environmental impact statement would make changes to the earlier PEIS that guided solar development on public lands in six western states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah) and adds five additional states (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming) under the new plan.

“The BLM is committed to expanding renewable energy development on public lands to help lead the nation into a clean energy future, enhance America’s energy security, and provide for good-paying union jobs,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “We look forward to hearing from the public on effective ways to expand our nation’s capacity for producing solar energy while continuing to ensure robust protection of our public lands and waters.”

The schedule for proposed in-person and virtual public comment sessions will run into early February and is posted on the BLM’s Solar PEIS website.